Portable urinal



Jan. 5, 1965 E. K. JOHNSON ETAL 3,163,369

PORTABLE URINAL Filed Feb. 5, 1964 l l A INVENTORS ERNEST K. JOHNSON Y AUSTIN E. ELMORE s Attorney United States Patent Ofitice Patented Jan. 5, 1965 3,163,869 PORTABLE URINAL Ernest K. Johnson, Rte. 1, Box 147,'Springfield, Greg, and Austin Ernest Elmore, South Pasadena, Calif.; said Elmore assignor to said Johnson Filed Feb. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 341,901 Claims. (Cl. 4-410) This invention relates to improvements in a portable urinal.

The present device is an improvement over that shown and described in Patent No. 3,099,840, issued August 6, 1963. The form of construction employed in said patent is well suited for fabrication from sheet metal but has presented difl'iculties in manufacture from plastic materials. It is desired to provide a urinal of this type which can be manufactured economically in quantity from plastic.

The general object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide further improvements in a non-spi1l portable urinal. Other objects are to provide a form of construction especially adapted for plastic molding, to provide a urinal of the type described with a minimum number of separate parts and to provide such a urinal that may be made inexpensively and will yet be rugged and durable in service.

The present urinal comprises two main parts. One part is a molded container and the other is a molded inlet tube with an integral venttube. The inner ends of both the inlet tube and the vent tube are located at the volumetric center of the container so that the contents will not spill when the container is less than half full. In order to prevent loss of the contents from splashing when the container is moved about, a novel arrangement of splash guards is provided for the inner ends of both tubes. Thus constructed, it is practically impossible for liquid to escape even with rough handling.

The invention will be better understood and the foregoing and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment illustrated on the accompanying drawing. Various changes may be made, however, in the details of construction and arrangement of parts, and all such modifications within the scope of the appended claims are included in the invention.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of elevation and parts in section;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the splash guard for the vent t be.

The container 10 is preferably integrally molded in one piece with a hollow handle 11 on its top side and a screw threaded outlet neck 12 on its back end. This outlet is normally closed by a threaded cap 13 which contains a suitable gasket 14.

The front end of the container is formed with a protruding inclined screw threaded inlet neck 15 which receives and suports a tapered plastic inlet tube in inclined position so that the inner end of the tube is at the volumetric center of the container. The inlet tube is held in this position by an integral circumferential flange 21 which is clamped against the end of inlet neck 15 by a threaded coupling 22 which has an inturned flange 23 engaging the outer face of flange 21. When the parts are made of a suitable plastic, the joint at this point will be water-tight without requiring a gasket.

Molded integrally with one side of inlet tube 20 is a vent tube 25 which opens at its outer end through the flange 21 and opens at its inner end closely adjacent the volumetric center of the container. Inorder to fit such an irregular shape into the circular neck 15 of the conthe urinal, with parts in resilient plastic which will withstand sterilizing tainer, the two tubes are embraced and surrounded by an integral collar 26 which reinforces flange 21 but is of lessdiameter. Collar 26 is circular and eccentric to the axis of tube 20 with its upper side tangent to the upper exterior surface of vent tube 25 and its lower side substanti-ally tangent to the external surface of the lower side of tube 20. Collar 26 fits snugly within the end of neck 15 whereby the collar 26 and flange 21 cooperate to hold the inlet tube securely in position without possibility of angular deflection from its intended direction with respect to the container. Collar 26 provides sufficient thickness of material at the base of flange 21 to prevent breakage of the flange 21 in case the outer end of the tube 20 is bumped while the urinal is being carried or handled.

The inner end of tube 20 terminates in a slightly reduced cylindrical neck portion 30 which is continuous for about 270 around its side and upper portions, leaving an opening 31 of about angular extent on its under side whereby the tube 20 communicates with the interior of the container. The end of cylindrical neck 30 is closedby an end wall 32 which projects downwardly and has a forwardly curved lower end 33 forming a rear splash guard for the opening 31. Opposite the splash guard 33, a short distance from the end of the lower side of tube 20, is a depending fin 34 which forms a front splash guard.

End wall 32 also protrudes slightly from cylindrical portion 30 to form a radial outstanding flange 35 around the sides and top portion of this cylindrical neck. This forms a 270 annular groove 36 to secure a removable splash guard 40 forthe vent tube 25. Splash guard 40 is a small upstanding tab or fin spaced about one-eighth inch away from lower end of tube 25. This splash guard is equipped with a resilient U-shaped mounting clip 41 as sshown in FIGURE 3. The mounting clip straddles the neck 30 and seats in the groove 36 with the lower ends of the clip fitting against and enclosing the side portions of the curved lower splash guard 33. The parts 4!) and 41 are preferably integrally molded of the same plastic used for container 10 and inlet tube 20.

This arrangement of the various splash guards is effective to prevent liquid from being sp ashed into the lower ends of the inlet and vent tubes when the urinal is being moved about. Liquid moving from left to right in FIGURE 1 is intercepted by splash guard 40 and end wall 32 with its splash guard 33. Liquid moving from right to left is intercepted by splash guard 34 and prevented from being scooped up by splash guard 33. Liquid moving in a lateral direction is kept away from the opening 31 by the lower ends of clip 41. This makes it practically impossible even intentially to shake liquid out of the container through inlet tube 20 and vent tube 25.

With the present form of construction, it is preferred to insert the inlet tube 20 with the vent tube 25 uppermost. This orientation is assured by providing a suitable indicium 45 such as the word Top on the protruding portion of the tube;20 where it is visible when the device is assembled.

The various parts are all made of a suitable tough and rough handling. The container and handle with the outlet and inlet necks 12 and 15 are molded in one piece. Inlet tube 20 and vent tube 25 are molded in one piece together with flange 21, collar 26, cylindrical neck 30, end wall 32 and splash guards 33 and 34. Splash guard 41 is separately molded and attached by spring clip action in the manner described. Thus, the whole urinal including cap 13 and screw coupling 22 involves only a small number of parts which must be separately molded and 3 these parts may be readily assembled with a of eifort.

Having now described our invention and in what manner the same maybe used, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A urinal comprising a -containerhaving an inlet neck on one end thereof, a removable inlet tube having a peripheral'flange intermediate the ends of the tube arranged to seat on the end of said neck, a vent tube extending along said inlet tube and integral therewith, splash guards for said tubes on the inner end of said inlet tube, said inner end being disposed at the volumetric center of the container, a coupling having threaded engagement with said neck, and an inturried flange on said coupling arranged to clamp said inlet tube flange against the end 'of said neck. e

2. A' urinal as defined in claim 1, said vent tube being disposed on the outside of said inlet tube and opening through said peripheral flange. I

3. A urinal as defined in claim 2, including an eccentric collar around said inlet tube intergral with said inlet tube and flange and arranged to =fit in said neck, the passageway through said vent tube passing through said .collar, and said flange being concentric with said collar.

4. A urinal as defined in claim 1, including means closing the inner end of said inlet tube, a rear splash guard depending from the innerend of said tube, and a front splash guard depending from said tube forward from said rear splash guard; said tube having a discharge opening in its under sidei between said splash guards.

5. A urinal as defined in claim 1, including an end wall on .the inner end of said inlet tube extending radially below the under side of said tube and forming a rear splash guard, said tube having an opening in its under side adjacent said end wall, and a splash guard depending from said tube forward from said opening.

6. A urinal comprising a container having an inlet neck on one end thereof, a removable inlet tube having an eccentric collar arranged to fit in said neck, a flange concentric with said collar arranged to seat on the end of said neck, a coupling having threaded engagement with said neck for clamping said flange against the end of said neck, and a vent tube extending along the outside of said inlet tube and having a passageway extending through said collar and flange, the inner ends of said tubes being disposed at the volumetric center of the container.

7. A urinal as defined in claim -6, including an end wall on the inner end of said inlet tube having a depending lower end forming a splash'guard, and a splash'g'uard depending from the under side of said tube forward from said first splash guard, said tube having an outlet opening between said splash guards.

8. A urinal as defined in claim 7, including a splash guard for said vent tube having spring clip mounting on said inlet tube.

9 A urinal as defined in claim 8, said spring clip having legs extending'between said depending splash guards on oposite sides of said opening.

10. A urinal as defined in claim 9, said first splash guard having a forwardly extending lower end portion between said legs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 703,131 Jaen'el June 24, 1902 1,337,829 Doyle Apr. 20, 1920 2,815,511 Friedman et a1. Dec. 10, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 29,576 Great Britain.. Oct. 13, 1910 of 1909 

6. A URINAL COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING AN INLET NECK ON ONE END THEREOF, A REMOVABLE INLET TUBE HAVING AN ECCENTRIC COLLAR ARRANGED TO FIT IN SAID NECK, A FLANGE CONCENTRIC WITH SAID COLLAR ARRANGED TO SEAT ON THE END OF SAID NECK, A COUPLING HAVING THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID NECK FOR CLAMPING SAID FLANGE AGAINST THE END OF SAID NECK, AND A VENT TUBE EXTENDING ALONG THE OUTSIDE OF SAID INLET TUBE AND HAVING A PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID COLLAR AND FLANGE, THE INNER ENDS OF SAID TUBES BEING DISPOSED AT THE VOLUMETRIC CENTER OF THE CONTAINER. 